Oxenhope tennis star in double title triumph

Oxenhope tennis star Francesca Jones in double title triumph

FRANCESCA Jones, from Oxenhope, has won her second ITF World Tennis Tour title in the space of a fortnight after beating No 2 seed Jaqueline Adina Cristian in the final of the Marat Zverev Memorial Cup in Minsk.

The 19-year-old, who is supported by the LTA’s Pro Scholarship Programme, overcame the Romanian 7-6 (6) 4-6 6-1 at the City Olympic Tennis Centre in Belarus.

Her victory comes a week after she claimed the BelGlobalGarant Cup, also in Minsk, by beating German Stephanie Wagner 6-3 1-6 6-2 earlier this month.

The wins have slashed over 150 places off her WTA ranking. She currently sits at a career high 366, and 124 in the ITF rankings.

She said: “I’m really pleased with my performance over the last few weeks. After having a tough start to the year, this has been a nice reward for the work I’ve been putting in on a daily basis.

"I didn’t necessarily do much different in Minsk compared to previous competitions. I trusted the effort I’ve made so far this year would eventually pay off, and I’m delighted that it has.

"Now I’m really excited to try and build on this result, while keeping my feet on the ground of course.”

Jones' rise in the sport has come against the odds, with the teenager having been born with Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia (EED), which has affected her balance and her ability to grip the racquet.

The LTA’s Pro Scholarship Programme is the highest level of support the national governing body offers, and currently there are 12 players on this scheme. In total, LTA supports around 1,300 players on the player pathway at a local, regional and elite level.

The Pro Scholarship Programme is tailored for players aged 16 to 24 who have the greatest potential to reach the Top 100 within five years. It provides world class coaching for the player’s needs, access to physio, lifestyle, wellbeing, strength and conditioning coaching at the National Tennis Centre, and wild card opportunities into events.

For further information please visit the LTA website at: https://www.lta.org.uk/play-compete/performance-tennis-players/player-pathway/pro-scholarship-programme/.

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